Month 2 Results (Pursuit of Movement Phase 2)

Month 2 concluded around the beginning of 2014. After a few days of destructive eating and celebrating the December holidays, it was time to get back to training. Surprisingly enough, the new year brought with it some long awaited breakthroughs. A few weeks of basic drills and realignment proved to be the answer as I was finally able to add the back handspring to my repertoire. And after 7 months of my journey to achieve the manly one arm chin-up, it actually looked like I was getting close.

Here are the results from Month 2:

Stalder Press

Okay, I realized that the actual name of this technique is called the Stalder Press, not the Straddle Press Handstand as I originally believed. A straddle press involves leaning into a handstand with your legs straddled behind you, while the stalder involves the full range of a sitting straddle into a handstand.

Month 1:

Month 2:

While I’ve improved my sitting straddle to where I can start off the ground, my technique of overcompensating with strength is still very apparent in the way I planche and also bend my elbows. Bah. Sometimes being strong has its subtle disadvantages.

Front lever

Month 1:

Month 2:

There’s no real shortcut to this move. You’re either strong enough to hold one or you’re not. I’ve improved my form a bit but it’s still a ways off until I can say I feel “strong” in this technique. Oh well, gotta keep at it.

Back lever

Month 1:

Month 2:

Well. After a few weeks of engaging the correct muscles, this move is coming along a fit further. At full extension (torso up and everything flexed) it is a very tense and taxing ordeal. Need more endurance.

One Arm Chin-up (OAC)

The below footage is testament that doing the proper drills OVER AND OVER does eventually yield results. This was my first attempt at a full non-support OAC. It turned into the most pleasant surprise ever.

Month 1:

Month 2:

GETTING STRONG NOW. GONNA FLY NOW. Okay, not quite at Rocky status yet, but damn it feels good to be able to get to this degree. I can only imagine the overwhelming flood of manliness I’ll feel when I get my chin above my hand.

Butterfly twist

Month 1:

Month 2:

Alright, this isn’t really going very well. I suspect the biggest contributing factor is that it just doesn’t feel natural going to my right. The stubbornness of going the direction I’m “supposed” to go (I break dance right-handed) is impacting my learning curve and just messing up my fun. I’m gonna embrace my inner left-handedness and see what happens.

Round-off -> Back handspring -> Back tuck

Month 1:

Month 2:

Well, hello there back handspring. Welcome back to my muscle memory.

I implore any adult learning a physical technique to approach it as slowly, correctly, and analytically as they can. Stubborn repetition might make you lucky, but it can also create bad habits like mine that were annoying to fix. My technique here still has some steps to take, but damn it feels good to lose the startle effect and land straight again.

Extras

Planche

Practicing the back lever has helped immensely in having my muscles understand this move. It’s just one massive ball of tightness from the buttocks down to the toes. Tight like a tiger.